Donald A. Lowrie, in his book, "Rebellious Prophet. A Life of Nikolai
Berdyaev", London 1960, writes on Fr. Alexei Mechev:

1 - About the contacts which had Berdiaev with him in Russia: ".
. .whobecame Nicolai Alexandrowitsch's confessor about this time. A remarkableand radiant personality, Father Metscheff was widely revered for
his saintlylife and unusual talent for discerning the needs of those who crowdedaround his doors". Berdiaev writes: "Father Metcheff rose to greet
me. Hewas all in white, and it seemed to me that he radiated light. I
told him howterribly painful it was for me to leave my fatherland, and he only
said: 'Youmust go - the west must hear your word'. In Father Metcheff Berdyaevfound again his full communion with the Orthodox Church. Eugenie
says heconsidered Father Metcheff a saint" (p. 155).

2 - Lowrie writes about the study of Berdiaev in Clamart: On the
table was aprayerbook "together with an icon given him by Father Metcheff on
hisdeparture from Moscow [1922] (p. 181).

3 - "During his Moscow period he had failed in an attempt at spiritualcontact with Elder Alexei, and it was only during and immediately
after therevolution that he met a priest, Father Metcheff, who could offer
him foodfor the spirit. With all his veneration for Father Metcheff, however,
Berdyaevmade a distinction between his spiritual and his intellectual qualities.
To afriend he once remarked that father Metcheff 'had no concept of
religiousphilosophy'." (p. 220).

Who was this priest, this saint? He was born on 17 March 1859 in
Moscow. After having finished school he intended to become a doctor. But
his mother wished to see him as a priest. So he starts by singing in the
Church of the Sign(Znamenka). The parishpriest of this church, Fr. Giorgii, is frequently
cruel and also even beats him. But Alexei endures it all and thinks to
himself, this priest serves as his teacher. He says: "Such people see our
faults, which we ourselves do not seeing. They help us to fight against
egoism."

In 1884 he married Anna Petrovna Molchanova. In the following years
are born to them their children: Alexandra, Sergei, Petr, Olga, Sofiia
and Anna.

On 19 March 1894, Fr. Alexei is ordained and becomes parishpriest
in the little church of Saint Nicholas on the Maple/Klennikach on the street
Maroseika 5 (near the Metro Kitaigorod). For eight years he celebrates
Divine Liturgy in an empty church. So long it takes, until people finally
start coming!

Fr. Alexei begins readings in prisons and little restaurants. He
gives religiousinstruction in the Winkler secondary school for girls.

His wife Anna then falls sick. She dies on 29 August 1902. Fr. Alexei
goes to (now Saint) Fr. John (Sergiev) of Kronstadt to speak about his
grief. Fr. John says: "Go to the people and share with their grief!"

And now Fr. Alexei becomes not only father for his own children,
but also for all who come to him. He sees them all as his own family. He
lives as a "starets" (religious elder) in the world. He follows the path
of the Good Sheperd Who goes after the one sheep that is missing (Luke
15:4).

Fr. Alexei is small of stature, baldheaded and has an unkempt beard.
His face is marked by the deep, intensive eyes. His riasa (cowl) has yet
seen better days. In his little study there are many books, letters, prosphores/loaves
on a tray, anepitrachil (priest's stole), a cross and gospelbook. The chaos everywhere
shows that this priest has never spare time for himself. Always there is
somebody waiting to see him. There come simple persons and those of the
Intelligentsia, poor and rich, believers and atheists, persons with good
and bad intentions, Orthodox and those of other faith-confessions and religion.
Fr. Alexei is open and welcoming to all and he speaks with them for a long
while. Others wait on the staircase or on the courtyard which becomes
full of water when it's raining. Fr. Alexei is attempts to provide guidance
and lead all these different personson their way. And especially he wants to show them the importance
of prayer.

His pastoral secret consists in knowledge of the heart (kardiognosia)
and incompassion: People who is coming to him get the feeling, that he
is looking intotheir inner heart. Fr. Alexei himself has no self-serving egoistic
goals. So he is able to distinguish, if a goal is good or bad for a person.

He himself saw a lot of grief. So he has compassion for other people
and he carries their burdens (see Gal 6:2). When they are leaving him,
they feel that he is going spiritually with them. His commemorationbook
(pomiannik) contains hundreds of names. The proskomidia in Liturgy takes
a long time, because he makes remembrance of all these names!

He had contact with the starets/elder Anatolii (Potapov, +1922) and
the starets/elder Nektarii (Tichonov, +1928) of Opina Pustyn.

Upon seeing the demonstrations of unrest in Moscow in 1905 he weeps,
because he foresees the coming misfortune of Russia.

As father-confessor to Nikolai A. Berdyaev, he counselled him, that
he must go into exile, so that the world should hear his words.

Fr. Alexei died on 22 June 1923 in Vereia (west of the citycenter
of Moscow). His body was uncovered intact (undecayed: a mark of sainthood)
in 1934 and laid in a new grave. His son Sergii, born 1892, becomes priest
in his father's church of the Saint Nicholas. He was himself murdered in
1942.

At the 13-16 August 2000 Jubilee Synod of the Church of Moscow Sergei
isdeclared a NewMartyr of the eparchy(sobor) of Moscow, and Alexei
is canonised into the ranks of the Saints by the Moscow Church. The feastday
of Righteous Priest Saint Alexei is on 9/22 June.

Отче Алексие, моли Бога о нас! Fr. Aleksii,
Pray God for us!

(Note: in common useage the spelling of his name is Alexei, but
Alexii (Aleksii) in Church Slavonic (at his canonisation).

Sayings of Fr. Aleksii:

(Against envy:) Wish good to all, and in herein you yourself are
saved.

Are we right to despise other people?

We cannot bear the privations, grief and woundings of our egoism,
and we don'tthank the Lord that He lets grow our spirit on this way.

Don't want to realise big projects, but do that to which the Lord
calls you.

Realise the Christian religion not with the intellect but with
the heart!